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Walking — the first step toward good health

Walking meet-ups encourage 2-foot transportation for health, wellness

By Emilie Rusch

The Denver Post

Posted:
04/23/2014 06:26:58 PM MDT

A group of walkers, that are part of Walk2Connect, go on their weekly Park Hill sunrise walk on April 18. Club members walk to improve their physical health and to become more connected to their community. Jonathon Stalls, far right, the founder of Walk2Connect leads the morning walk. (RJ Sangosti / The Denver Post)

Tips to get walking

Jonathon Stalls, founder and "lead itinerant" of Walk2Connect, offers some tips for getting started on foot.

Invest in your feet. Buy a good pair of walking shoes and good-quality, non-cotton socks. Depending on where you're going, you may want to consider waterproof shoes.

Find a buddy. A lot of people don't like the idea of walking alone, so ask a friend (or spouse), and start out on foot together.

Be OK with starting slow. It doesn't have to be a power walk your first time out. For the first few trips, Stalls said, walk at an "exploratory" pace and focus on learning your neighborhood, rather than just getting exercise. Once you feel more comfortable walking, you can push yourself to pick up the pace.

Pick a destination. Sometimes, choosing a destination — a nearby park or even a gas station — can help keep you moving. Anything within 1 mile of your home or office can be reached within 15-20 minutes of walking.

Walk safely. If there's no sidewalk or only a narrow one, walk on the left side of the road opposite traffic."That way, you always have the choice of deciding whether or not the driver is paying attention," Stalls said. If it's later in the evening, wear bright, reflective colors.

For 242 days, Jonathon Stalls walked.

When he was done, he had traveled some 3,030 miles, from the Delaware coast to San Francisco, his life in a backpack, his dog at his side, relying on the kindness of strangers.

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"I've never been in such peak health, obviously physically, but even more so mentally and emotionally, and even spiritually," Stalls said.

One other thing he knew: He wanted to bring those same benefits to others — no cross-country sojourn required.

Once a week, you'll find Stalls leading an early-morning walk in Park Hill, one of many free hour-long community walks that his growing social enterprise coordinates to help residents get moving and connecting on foot.

He founded Walk2Connect in 2012, with a mantra of "Life @ 3 mph" and a goal of cultivating a culture of walking in Denver and beyond.

"Walking is almost as inherent to our design as eating. It's something we've done for as long as we've been around," Stalls said. "In America, we've replaced it with 50, 60, 70 miles per hour."

"Walking has a stigma," he said. "Walking is so basic it's never really seen as a real tool toward health and wellness."

The truth is, walking is one of the easiest, most affordable and accessible forms of exercise out there. And local meet-up groups, like those organized by Walk2Connect, are making it even easier to get started.

"There shouldn't be a single population that doesn't have access to a walking program," Stalls said. "It's easy, it can happen right from your front door, and it's free."

Ask Dr. Andrew Freeman, a cardiologist at National Jewish Health in Denver, and he'll tell you brisk walking is so beneficial to your cardiovascular health that he prescribes it to his patients.

"Thirty minutes a day literally keeps the doctor away," Freeman said.

The health benefits read like a vitals checklist.

Walking briskly for at least 30 minutes a day has been shown to help reduce high blood pressure, lower cholesterol, improve bone density, lower stroke risk, reduce stress, slow memory loss, improve oxygenation and assist in smoking cessation, among other things, he said.

"For 23 ½ hours a day, you can do whatever you like. For 30 minutes, walk hard," he said. "It's really a very small time commitment."

Freeman is also behind Walk with a Doc, a free walking meet-up offered through National Jewish at parks around the Denver area.

On Saturday mornings, local health-care professionals hit the pavement with residents for a brisk walk and a talk about a health topic — all with no co-pay, he said.

"Walking is for everyone," Freeman said. "If you take the elite athletes out, the vast majority of Americans lead a sedentary lifestyle."

To get the full benefits, from a physical standpoint, though, you do need to pick up the pace beyond a casual stroll — Freeman says for most people, 4 mph is a good goal.

"If you can complete a sentence, you aren't walking fast enough," he said.

If you ask Stalls, taking it slower is fine, too, especially if you're just starting out or looking to reap some of walking's less physical and more emotional and social benefits.

Walk2Connect's free community walks aim to cover 2-3 miles in an hour, a moderate pace that still allows for comfortable conversation.

"We're in it for the connection," said Rachel Hultin, the group's community program director.

A former distance runner, Hultin leads a lunchtime community walk in Wheat Ridge, switching the route every week and the meet-up point every two months to keep things interesting.

On a recent sunny afternoon, four people — three men and one woman — joined Hultin to explore the hilly neighborhoods east of Kipling Street and Discovery Park, chatting and exchanging jokes, as well as enjoying a dramatic view of the foothills that one walker said was "too beautiful not to share."

Walking can be a great way to connect to people with different backgrounds, Hultin said, as well as slow down and notice what's around you, clear your mind and feel more grounded.

"There are a lot of people who feel disconnected or are dealing with issues of depression and isolation," she said. "This is a step toward feeling more connected and more well."

Briskly or otherwise, Stalls said an easy way to work more walking into your life is by making practical trips on foot.

Start by taking out a map — or downloading one from Walk2Connect's website — and drawing a circle with a 1-mile radius around your home or office.

Anywhere within that circle, you can walk to within 15-20 minutes, Stalls said.

Maybe it's not every day, but once a week, try to walk to and from a destination within your circle, whether it's the grocery store, post office or neighborhood sandwich shop, Stalls said. Not only will it improve your personal wellness, but it will help your neighborhood, too, by making you more invested and connected to your surroundings.

As a business, Walk2Connect also offers consulting services for organizations looking to encourage their employees to walk more, including walk planning, coaching and low-cost theme walks.

"If we can start thinking through a 15-minute, 20-minute walking lens instead of just a two-minute drive, a five-minute drive, we can create more habit and practice around walking," Stalls said.

"This can be just as much a transforming and healing experience when you're walking to a practical destination within your neighborhood."

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